This is part 5 of 7 in the Notion Database series. Read Part 4: The Notion Global Database Concept
Databases house data and allow you to add a little extra data on top, called metadata. This is the data about the data which gives you the ability to “contextualize” the data by filtering and sorting it. But also, because of “linked views” of databases, we can further contextualize and actually place those filtered and sorted views in exactly the places they are most relevant. Think back to the matrix of data and structure, of content and context. the matrix is our solution to the old way of hierarchy. With the old hierarchical approach, the data was inescapably tied to the structure – it was static. The original file could only live in one place. Databases unlocked a “matrix” approach, allowing the data to live in one place apart from the structure. With databases you can filter and sort across any number of structural ideas to get to what you are looking for quickly.
But databases, especially in Notion, go further. They allow you to contextualize much more efficiently than constantly re-filtering and re-sorting the database. And that’s with “views.” There are two concepts to database views that are important to understand. Both of them are “views” of the same caliber, but one builds on top of the other.
These two views are:
- The view tab
- the linked view
The View Tab
New Notion databases all start with one view tab which is an unfiltered, unsorted table of the database. Further, you can hide and show the different properties you’ve added to the database. These are all called VIEW OPTIONS. When you click the ellipses (﹒﹒﹒) on the upper right of the database, it shows “view options.” ****Changes to these do not affect the pages in the database, the database structure, or even the metadata. These view settings are fully customizable apart from the data to give you as much flexibility as needed. Consider each “view” as its own special combination of these settings. ****
Interruption – The importance of distinguishing the “View”
One very important thing to consider as you learn more. When you manipulate a database, you can do so in three major ways:
- DATABASE VIEW OPTIONS
- DATABASE STRUCTURE
- DATABASE CONTENT
What we’re talking about in this article is the views. As just mentioned, changing the view options does not change the structure or the content. It only affects the view that you change it on as well and not any other view or the root database. This is important to remember as many people get these confused and end up deleting their precious data. Changing structure is adding or deleting properties or the property options available. This affects the root database and could easily affect other views. Changing the content (the pages within) is also a global change. remember there is only one original file even though there are many views. If you delete the file from one view, you delete it entirely. The ability to make these changes, especially at scale can be guarded with permissions – but that’s for another time.
Here’s the full list of elements that make up the view options:
- filter
- sort
- hidden/shown properties
- layout: table, list, gallery, timeline, calendar, board
- any and all layout settings like size, grouping, color, etc.
The following three options are more advanced and not helpful for this discussion. They are part of the Notion view options menu which is why I’m including them and giving this disclaimer. They do have some view settings but they require creating something new before they can be used, whether it’s new relations in the database or new automations. They’re optional additions to a database and not fundamental. For this instruction, we’re going to stick to the vanilla – the options EVERY view will have.
- Sub-items
- dependencies
- automations
So each view is a unique combination of filter, sort, properties, and layout. It’s the way you want the data in the database to look – what do you want it to show? Thus, it’s called the VIEW. Each view tab of a database allows you to create one new view. And you can create as many as you like for convenient access to that specific combination.
The Linked View
So you can create as many tabs in one database window as you like. But you still have to navigate to the window before you can find your tab. You have to exit the context of your current work to go to the database and use it. Further, Only so many tabs will show up before they have to be hidden, for the sake of the User Interface. For all you browser tab hoarders, this may be triggering. This isn’t healthy. It’s not helpful! We want to reduce friction and stress, not increase it. There is something better. It’s called the Linked View.
Rather than consigning ourselves to the singular database window, we can create any number of Linked Views. These Linked Views are windows into the same database that you can place anywhere! Think of it like windows around a factory. Each window gives you a different perspective into what’s going on inside. The production floor, the office, the basement, the tool storage, the trash bin, etc.
We can create as many windows as we want and adjust the way they look and feel, and what they see. To take the analogy too far, our windows are far more powerful than a simple 2D cutout around a 3D factory building. We can see pieces of each of those places all in one window. Is that…the fourth dimension??
And the cherry on top – You can still have as many view tabs as you like per Linked View. The possibilities are…limitless.
So what does this mean? It means that you can not only contextualize the data in the database, you can contextualize where you even see the database. Data and Structure. We’re formatting the data for the structure and placing it within the structure. Translated, this means we can have the file and folder structure that makes sense of our world, but one file can be anywhere and everywhere all at once. There is only one original file, it’s just gone…quantum. Behind the scenes, there is one file in one database. We’re just opening windows in various places to see it. Now you don’t have to leave the context of your work, the data can be right there.
Read Part 6: Keep Your Notion Data Secure